THE HARD PART ABOUT THESE COURSES

One difficult adjustment of your course is that it asks you to find sites that interest you, to trust YOUR judgment about what you should print and read, and to form your opinion on what makes sense for teaching and learning more effectively. You are constructing your own views, your understandings, and the ideas and strategies that make sense to you. This shifts the locus of authority from the teacher to you; it is what is meant by educational "empowerment."

So the question, “What does this professor want?” isn’t really relevant. It’s a think-for-yourself course with choices among many possible supporting articles and many ways to approach each Essential Question, in figuring out your answers. There are “rubrics” to suggest what your answer needs to include or address for full credit, but it still is your answer.

Most of us haven't had this kind of freedom or challenge before. What does that say about the “education” we’ve been given?

A second difficulty is the self-pacing--the any time, any place features of distance learning--and the habit of procrastinating many of us have developed.

But if we can't get started and keep up momentum when we have choices, can follow our interests and discover our own thoughts--when could we? And if we are going to be educators, isn't it time we develop this self-directed style of learning?

These are the "heroic" challenges of this course.

GETTING STARTED

  1. Surf and survey the sites one section at a time (it doesn't matter in what order).
  2. Select sites that interest you because of style or content, and print these (Try for at least 5 in each section.)
  3. Read each article, highlighting and annotating as you do. [Annotating means making notes and comments on the reprints.]
  4. Use those articles and your own thinking to write a brief essay on the ways you might seek to use /teach that content in an interesting manner. If there is another Essential Question raised from the material, write on that.

    You are producing a Portfolio or Handbook of sites and viewpoints to help guide you in teaching.

    The main thing is to get started on Steps 1-3.

    MIDDLE & SECONDARY TEACHER CERTIFICATION ON-LINE/
    DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAM

    1. ED 250 EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
    2. ED 251 FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION
    3. ED 270 DIVERSITY & MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION
    4. ED 351/352 PRINCIPLES OF CURRICULUM & EVALUATION in the MIDDLE & SECONDARY SCHOOL
    5. ED 353/354 EFFECTIVE TEACHING IN MIDDLE & SECONDARY SCHOOLS

    CHAD OSBORNE

    ozpk@earthlink.net